Acorda Grant Program

General Resources

Acorda’s mission is to develop therapies to restore function and improve the lives of people with neurological disorders. Our company is devoted to supporting neurological research, education, and patient assistance through grant and sponsorship programs. We support a broad group of organizations based on the principles of scientifically rigorous research and programs designed to improve patient education and care.

The grants website provides an overview of the parameters by which we review and assess requests for financial support.

Acorda provides grants and sponsorships for academic and other medical centers, medical and professional societies and associations, and patient organizations that are involved in neurological research and education. We also provide philanthropic support to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, particularly those focused on neurological research, education, and patient support.

Grant Requests

If you are working on research that can help people with nervous system disorders or are developing programs that educate or support healthcare providers or people affected by neurological diseases, please contact medaffairs@acorda.com for more information.

To submit a grant proposal or request a sponsorship or philanthropic support from Acorda, please complete an online application at http://grants.acorda.com/.

Please note that all requests for grants and/or funding need to be submitted 60 days or more in advance of the event or program for which funding is being requested. Acorda’s grants portal is designed not to accept a program start date that is less than 60 days from the date application was filled out. The status of a grant request can be found on the portal. Any additional questions regarding status of a grant request should be sent to medaffairs@acorda.com.

Medical Affairs Education and Scientific Resources (MAESTRO)

MAESTRO is an integral part of Medical Affairs’ mission to support education for providers and patients, research, and healthcare quality improvement initiatives that can contribute to the health, well being and safety of patients associated with our corporate mission.

Educational Grants

Medical Education Grants

Educational grants can include certified and non-certified programs.

Educational grants are only available to organizations, such as a hospital, medical professional society, patient advocacy association, conference sponsor or continuing medical education organization to foster increased understanding of scientific, clinical, or health care issues that contribute to the improvement of patient care.

Continuing Medical Education (CME) or Certified Education

The purpose of CME is to enhance the ability of the healthcare professional to care for patients. Such programs must be independent, objective, balanced, and reflect scientific rigor in content development.

The subject matter, objectives, proposed audience, program date, location, description of any enduring educational material development, proposed budget, and whether the program will have multiple sponsors.

The name, address, and Federal Tax Identification Number of the Educational Grant recipient.

In the case of accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs or enduring educational material, a budget showing how the money, if approved, will be spent, and a statement of ACCME compliance (if necessary).

Investigator Initiated Studies (IIS)

The mission of the Investigator-Initiated Studies (IIS) Program is to advance the knowledge and understanding of Acorda’s approved products and therapeutic areas of interest through investigator-initiated proposals for clinical and health outcomes research. Acorda supports the independent research of investigators by providing drug supplies and/or monetary support. The proposed research must address a legitimate medical or scientific question.

Investigator Initiated Studies:

Clinical investigations conceived and executed by external investigators with support provided by Acorda.

All responsibility for the conduct of the study resides with the investigator and their institution that must ensure that the study is conducted under the appropriate ethical, legal, and regulatory guidelines including ICH GCP guidelines.

Acorda cannot supply a Letter of Cross-Reference to any of the Investigational New Drug Applications (IND) of its products for submission to a regulatory authority. Investigators are required to obtain an IND exemption from regulatory authorities.

If you have any questions on submitting an IIS request, you may contact an Acorda Medical Science Liaison (MSL) or send an e-mail to medaffairs@acorda.com.

All IIS submissions must be entered into the Acorda Grants website (http://grants.acorda.com/) by the applicant.

For a request to be considered for review, the applicant must complete the online submission form in its entirety. Information required includes a summary of the proposed research project, the names of the researchers, amount of drug supplies required if applicable, and requested funding. In addition, you are required to upload a complete protocol and detailed budget.

Upon receipt of all required information, the submission will be sent to Acorda’s IIS committee for review.

Complete IIS requests will be reviewed by the IIS Committee 45–60 days following submission.

The assessment of an IIS includes the scientific value, validity and rigor of the study, risk/benefit assessment to ensure the safety of human subjects, study design meets ethical guidelines concerning human subjects in research as applicable, intellectual property considerations, amount of funding and drug requested, experience of the investigator and the investigator’s site, as well as consistency with Acorda’s Corporate Mission Statement.

There are three possible review outcomes. Applicants will be notified of the decision.

Request Approved.

Request Declined. The request will be closed.

Request for further information. The committee may require additional information about the proposal or suggest minor changes typically related to safety concerns. We will not request a major change to the scope or research aims of the study. If such information is requested, your MSL will contact you to discuss the specific questions related to your proposal. If protocol changes are requested, you will be required to upload the revised documents to the grant’s webpage.

Sponsorships, Community Support and Charitable Donations

Acorda provides support to independent third-party organizations and qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, particularly those focused on education, awareness, and patient support. The Company is interested in working in partnership with organizations who have clearly articulated their programs including, most importantly, the benefit to the communities of patients we serve.

To submit a grant proposal or request a sponsorship or philanthropic support from Acorda, please complete an online application at http://grants.acorda.com/.

Each grant request must include:

A detailed description of the proposed program, patient advocacy or patient education effort.

A description of any enduring educational material development.

The objectives, timing, location, proposed budget, and whether the event is intended as a - single or multiple sponsor event.

The anticipated audience for the program (i.e., type of audience and expected attendance).

Information on what the corporate recognition of sponsorship would be for the event or program.

The name, address, and Federal Tax Identification Number of the Educational Grant recipient.

Operating budget for the previous calendar year, number of employees (both full and part-time), and date of incorporation/establishment.

Charitable donation requests must include a cover letter with the following information:

Description of the requesting organization and its mission, size of annual operating budget, and number of employees.

Donation amount.

What fund or program the donation will be supporting.
If you have additional questions, please contact Medical Affairs via email at medaffairs@acorda.com.

Compliance [Please read before submitting any request]

Requests for funding are reviewed and assessed through an online application process. Please note that in accordance with our corporate policy and applicable laws and regulations, Acorda does not fund the following types of activities:

Funding will not be made to any other customer or potential customer or their related foundations, including any other person or entity in a position to purchase, prescribe, recommend, refer, or arrange for the purchase or sale or formulary placement of Acorda products, including but not limited to physicians, pharmacists, medical directors, group purchasing organizations, wholesalers, and any individual employed by such entities with responsibility or authority to purchase, prescribe, recommend, influence, or arrange for the purchase or sale or formulary placement of pharmaceutical products.

Sponsorships or events for which Acorda would be the sole sponsor or be the sole provider of funding. (This pertains to Sponsorship requests only and not CME or patient education requests.)

Debarred institutions, groups, or faculty, including organizations or their employees on probation with the ACCME, on the OIG exclusion list, or debarred from a federal healthcare program.

Under no circumstances will funding be offered or provided with the intent of, directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly, influencing or encouraging the funding recipient to: purchase, prescribe, refer, sell, arrange for the purchase or sale to serve as a product discount, fulfill customer business needs, or recommend formulary placement of any Acorda products.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have registered but have yet to receive my confirmation e-mail to log back in. When can I expect to receive it?
Please allow 24 hours for your registration to process and your confirmation email to be sent out. If you do not receive the confirmation email within, it may have been sent directly to your “junk mail” or spam folder. Please add http://grants.acorda.com/ to your address book to prevent our emails from being marked as SPAM. If your confirmation email was not sent to your “junk mail,” please email medaffairs@acorda.com and a new confirmation email will be sent to you.

Can I complete part of the online grant request and come back to it later?
Yes. If you are unable to complete the request in one session you may save your work and continue later. At any time before the submission of a grant request, you will have the opportunity to return to the site and make changes. Once a grant is submitted, changes can no longer be made.

I have submitted an Educational Grant proposal and would like to include promotional exhibit and display space for the grant. Who do I talk to?
Exhibit tables and promotional opportunities have to be separate from Educational Grants. Educational Grants cannot be linked to commercial opportunities. Requests for the purchase exhibit tables and display space should go through Acorda’s marketing department. For more information please contact Marketing via e-mail at medaffairs@acorda.com.

I have received funding for the past few years from Acorda but received an e-mail recently informing me that the request was declined. Why was the grant not funded?
Approval of similar grant activities in previous years does not guarantee future approval. Each request is evaluated based on its individual merit and available funds.

I have submitted a grant and would like to change some fields in the application, how do I go about making the corrections?
At any time before the submission of a grant request, you will have the opportunity to return to the site and make changes to the request. Once a grant is submitted, changes can no longer be made on-line. If you require edits please contact us at medaffairs@acorda.com for assistance.

If I don’t want to register on the website can I submit a proposal via e-mail or mail?
No, grants are only accepted and tracked through the online grant management system. Applications received through mail, express delivery, fax or e-mail will not be considered.

How do I check the status of my request?
You can check the status of your application by logging into http://grants.acorda.com/ and entering your user name and password.

FAQs Investigator Initiated Studies

What type(s) of support does Acorda provide?
Acorda may provide financial support and/or drug supplies to support scientifically compelling and innovative research consistent with Acorda’s therapeutic and clinical interests. To be eligible for support, the request must address legitimate medical or scientific questions relating to the use of Acorda marketed products, investigational compounds, or areas of therapeutic interest.

How do I apply for IIS support?
All applications must be submitted using our online system (http://grants.acorda.com/). The application consists of a study synopsis, and also requires the submission of a complete protocol and detailed budget. If you have any questions regarding the submission process, please feel free to contact us at medaffairs@acorda.com or speak with your Acorda Medical Science Liaison (MSL).

Who should I contact if I need information regarding the Investigator Initiated Studies program?
An Acorda Medical Science Liaison (MSL) can answer questions related to the IIS program. If you do not know your Acorda MSL, please e-mail medaffairs@acorda.com for assistance.

Who reviews the proposal?
A Committee comprised of Acorda Scientific, Medical, Regulatory, and Legal personnel will review your application. Funding and drug supplies are provided based solely on scientific merit and consistency with Acorda’s scientific areas of interest, as outlined on the Acorda Grants Home page.

When and how will I be informed of the Committee’s decision regarding my proposal?
The IIS Committee meets regularly to review and discuss proposals. For a submission to be considered, all required materials must be submitted through the website, including a complete protocol and budget. Once reviewed, you will be contacted by your MSL within 60 days following submission of your proposal. Review usually takes 45-60 days following submission of a complete proposal. If you have questions regarding the status of your proposal, you can check the status on the Grants webpage or contact your Acorda MSL. In order to ensure a complete and timely review, we ask that you please complete all fields on the application page along with uploading a detailed budget and complete protocol..

How do I submit an IIS proposal for review?
Direct your internet browser to http://grants.acorda.com/. If you are an existing user, enter your email address and password. If you are a new user, click on “Register” and provide the required information. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your account, and you can then begin the application process. If you have questions, you may contact us by email (medaffairs@acorda.com) for assistance.

*What information needs to be included in the protocol?
All applicants must include a completed protocol with any submission. At minimum, the protocol should contain a synopsis, background information related to the study, research aims or objectives, patient selection criteria, study design and methods, safety monitoring, a statistical analysis plan, references, and a schedule of procedures.

What information needs to be included in the study budget?
If you are requesting financial support, please submit a complete budget for all costs associated with the conduct of the study. This includes direct costs such as subject related costs, study related personnel costs, diagnostic fees, data management expenses, IRB fees, as well as indirect costs or overhead charges.

Who do I contact if I experience difficulties accessing the website or submitting a proposal?
If you have questions regarding the website or submission process, please contact medaffairs@acorda.com for assistance.

Feedback & Questions:
If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions regarding FAQ’s, please contact us via email at medaffairs@acorda.com.

Acorda’s mission is to develop therapies to restore function and improve the lives of people with neurological disorders. Our company is devoted to supporting neurological research, education, and patient assistance through grant and sponsorship programs. We support a broad group of organizations based on the principles of scientifically rigorous research and programs designed to improve patient education and care.

The grants website provides an overview of the parameters by which we review and assess requests for financial support.

Acorda provides grants and sponsorships for academic and other medical centers, medical and professional societies and associations, and patient organizations that are involved in neurological research and education. We also provide philanthropic support to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, particularly those focused on neurological research, education, and patient support.

Grant Requests

If you are working on research that can help people with nervous system disorders or are developing programs that educate or support healthcare providers or people affected by neurological diseases, please contact medaffairs@acorda.com for more information.

To submit a grant proposal or request a sponsorship or philanthropic support from Acorda, please complete an online application at http://grants.acorda.com/.

Please note that all requests for grants and/or funding need to be submitted 60 days or more in advance of the event or program for which funding is being requested. Acorda’s grants portal is designed not to accept a program start date that is less than 60 days from the date application was filled out. The status of a grant request can be found on the portal. Any additional questions regarding status of a grant request should be sent to medaffairs@acorda.com.

Medical Affairs Education and Scientific Resources (MAESTRO)

MAESTRO is an integral part of Medical Affairs’ mission to support education for providers and patients, research, and healthcare quality improvement initiatives that can contribute to the health, well being and safety of patients associated with our corporate mission.

Educational Grants

Medical Education Grants

Educational grants can include certified and non-certified programs.

Educational grants are only available to organizations, such as a hospital, medical professional society, patient advocacy association, conference sponsor or continuing medical education organization to foster increased understanding of scientific, clinical, or health care issues that contribute to the improvement of patient care.

Continuing Medical Education (CME) or Certified Education

The purpose of CME is to enhance the ability of the healthcare professional to care for patients. Such programs must be independent, objective, balanced, and reflect scientific rigor in content development.

The subject matter, objectives, proposed audience, program date, location, description of any enduring educational material development, proposed budget, and whether the program will have multiple sponsors.

The name, address, and Federal Tax Identification Number of the Educational Grant recipient.

In the case of accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs or enduring educational material, a budget showing how the money, if approved, will be spent, and a statement of ACCME compliance (if necessary).

Investigator Initiated Studies (IIS)

The mission of the Investigator-Initiated Studies (IIS) Program is to advance the knowledge and understanding of Acorda’s approved products and therapeutic areas of interest through investigator-initiated proposals for clinical and health outcomes research. Acorda supports the independent research of investigators by providing drug supplies and/or monetary support. The proposed research must address a legitimate medical or scientific question.

Investigator Initiated Studies:

Clinical investigations conceived and executed by external investigators with support provided by Acorda.

All responsibility for the conduct of the study resides with the investigator and their institution that must ensure that the study is conducted under the appropriate ethical, legal, and regulatory guidelines including ICH GCP guidelines.

Acorda cannot supply a Letter of Cross-Reference to any of the Investigational New Drug Applications (IND) of its products for submission to a regulatory authority. Investigators are required to obtain an IND exemption from regulatory authorities.

If you have any questions on submitting an IIS request, you may contact an Acorda Medical Science Liaison (MSL) or send an e-mail to medaffairs@acorda.com.

All IIS submissions must be entered into the Acorda Grants website (http://grants.acorda.com/) by the applicant.

For a request to be considered for review, the applicant must complete the online submission form in its entirety. Information required includes a summary of the proposed research project, the names of the researchers, amount of drug supplies required if applicable, and requested funding. In addition, you are required to upload a complete protocol and detailed budget.

Upon receipt of all required information, the submission will be sent to Acorda’s IIS committee for review.

Complete IIS requests will be reviewed by the IIS Committee 45–60 days following submission.

The assessment of an IIS includes the scientific value, validity and rigor of the study, risk/benefit assessment to ensure the safety of human subjects, study design meets ethical guidelines concerning human subjects in research as applicable, intellectual property considerations, amount of funding and drug requested, experience of the investigator and the investigator’s site, as well as consistency with Acorda’s Corporate Mission Statement.

There are three possible review outcomes. Applicants will be notified of the decision.

Request Approved.

Request Declined. The request will be closed.

Request for further information. The committee may require additional information about the proposal or suggest minor changes typically related to safety concerns. We will not request a major change to the scope or research aims of the study. If such information is requested, your MSL will contact you to discuss the specific questions related to your proposal. If protocol changes are requested, you will be required to upload the revised documents to the grant’s webpage.

Sponsorships, Community Support and Charitable Donations

Acorda provides support to independent third-party organizations and qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, particularly those focused on education, awareness, and patient support. The Company is interested in working in partnership with organizations who have clearly articulated their programs including, most importantly, the benefit to the communities of patients we serve.

To submit a grant proposal or request a sponsorship or philanthropic support from Acorda, please complete an online application at http://grants.acorda.com/.

Each grant request must include:

A detailed description of the proposed program, patient advocacy or patient education effort.

A description of any enduring educational material development.

The objectives, timing, location, proposed budget, and whether the event is intended as a - single or multiple sponsor event.

The anticipated audience for the program (i.e., type of audience and expected attendance).

Information on what the corporate recognition of sponsorship would be for the event or program.

The name, address, and Federal Tax Identification Number of the Educational Grant recipient.

Operating budget for the previous calendar year, number of employees (both full and part-time), and date of incorporation/establishment.

Charitable donation requests must include a cover letter with the following information:

Description of the requesting organization and its mission, size of annual operating budget, and number of employees.

Donation amount.

What fund or program the donation will be supporting.
If you have additional questions, please contact Medical Affairs via email at medaffairs@acorda.com.

Compliance [Please read before submitting any request]

Requests for funding are reviewed and assessed through an online application process. Please note that in accordance with our corporate policy and applicable laws and regulations, Acorda does not fund the following types of activities:

Funding will not be made to any other customer or potential customer or their related foundations, including any other person or entity in a position to purchase, prescribe, recommend, refer, or arrange for the purchase or sale or formulary placement of Acorda products, including but not limited to physicians, pharmacists, medical directors, group purchasing organizations, wholesalers, and any individual employed by such entities with responsibility or authority to purchase, prescribe, recommend, influence, or arrange for the purchase or sale or formulary placement of pharmaceutical products.

Sponsorships or events for which Acorda would be the sole sponsor or be the sole provider of funding. (This pertains to Sponsorship requests only and not CME or patient education requests.)

Debarred institutions, groups, or faculty, including organizations or their employees on probation with the ACCME, on the OIG exclusion list, or debarred from a federal healthcare program.

Under no circumstances will funding be offered or provided with the intent of, directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly, influencing or encouraging the funding recipient to: purchase, prescribe, refer, sell, arrange for the purchase or sale to serve as a product discount, fulfill customer business needs, or recommend formulary placement of any Acorda products.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have registered but have yet to receive my confirmation e-mail to log back in. When can I expect to receive it?
Please allow 24 hours for your registration to process and your confirmation email to be sent out. If you do not receive the confirmation email within, it may have been sent directly to your “junk mail” or spam folder. Please add http://grants.acorda.com/ to your address book to prevent our emails from being marked as SPAM. If your confirmation email was not sent to your “junk mail,” please email medaffairs@acorda.com and a new confirmation email will be sent to you.

Can I complete part of the online grant request and come back to it later?
Yes. If you are unable to complete the request in one session you may save your work and continue later. At any time before the submission of a grant request, you will have the opportunity to return to the site and make changes. Once a grant is submitted, changes can no longer be made.

I have submitted an Educational Grant proposal and would like to include promotional exhibit and display space for the grant. Who do I talk to?
Exhibit tables and promotional opportunities have to be separate from Educational Grants. Educational Grants cannot be linked to commercial opportunities. Requests for the purchase exhibit tables and display space should go through Acorda’s marketing department. For more information please contact Marketing via e-mail at medaffairs@acorda.com.

I have received funding for the past few years from Acorda but received an e-mail recently informing me that the request was declined. Why was the grant not funded?
Approval of similar grant activities in previous years does not guarantee future approval. Each request is evaluated based on its individual merit and available funds.

I have submitted a grant and would like to change some fields in the application, how do I go about making the corrections?
At any time before the submission of a grant request, you will have the opportunity to return to the site and make changes to the request. Once a grant is submitted, changes can no longer be made on-line. If you require edits please contact us at medaffairs@acorda.com for assistance.

If I don’t want to register on the website can I submit a proposal via e-mail or mail?
No, grants are only accepted and tracked through the online grant management system. Applications received through mail, express delivery, fax or e-mail will not be considered.

How do I check the status of my request?
You can check the status of your application by logging into http://grants.acorda.com/ and entering your user name and password.

FAQs Investigator Initiated Studies

What type(s) of support does Acorda provide?
Acorda may provide financial support and/or drug supplies to support scientifically compelling and innovative research consistent with Acorda’s therapeutic and clinical interests. To be eligible for support, the request must address legitimate medical or scientific questions relating to the use of Acorda marketed products, investigational compounds, or areas of therapeutic interest.

How do I apply for IIS support?
All applications must be submitted using our online system (http://grants.acorda.com/). The application consists of a study synopsis, and also requires the submission of a complete protocol and detailed budget. If you have any questions regarding the submission process, please feel free to contact us at medaffairs@acorda.com or speak with your Acorda Medical Science Liaison (MSL).

Who should I contact if I need information regarding the Investigator Initiated Studies program?
An Acorda Medical Science Liaison (MSL) can answer questions related to the IIS program. If you do not know your Acorda MSL, please e-mail medaffairs@acorda.com for assistance.

Who reviews the proposal?
A Committee comprised of Acorda Scientific, Medical, Regulatory, and Legal personnel will review your application. Funding and drug supplies are provided based solely on scientific merit and consistency with Acorda’s scientific areas of interest, as outlined on the Acorda Grants Home page.

When and how will I be informed of the Committee’s decision regarding my proposal?
The IIS Committee meets regularly to review and discuss proposals. For a submission to be considered, all required materials must be submitted through the website, including a complete protocol and budget. Once reviewed, you will be contacted by your MSL within 60 days following submission of your proposal. Review usually takes 45-60 days following submission of a complete proposal. If you have questions regarding the status of your proposal, you can check the status on the Grants webpage or contact your Acorda MSL. In order to ensure a complete and timely review, we ask that you please complete all fields on the application page along with uploading a detailed budget and complete protocol..

How do I submit an IIS proposal for review?
Direct your internet browser to http://grants.acorda.com/. If you are an existing user, enter your email address and password. If you are a new user, click on “Register” and provide the required information. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your account, and you can then begin the application process. If you have questions, you may contact us by email (medaffairs@acorda.com) for assistance.

*What information needs to be included in the protocol?
All applicants must include a completed protocol with any submission. At minimum, the protocol should contain a synopsis, background information related to the study, research aims or objectives, patient selection criteria, study design and methods, safety monitoring, a statistical analysis plan, references, and a schedule of procedures.

What information needs to be included in the study budget?
If you are requesting financial support, please submit a complete budget for all costs associated with the conduct of the study. This includes direct costs such as subject related costs, study related personnel costs, diagnostic fees, data management expenses, IRB fees, as well as indirect costs or overhead charges.

Who do I contact if I experience difficulties accessing the website or submitting a proposal?
If you have questions regarding the website or submission process, please contact medaffairs@acorda.com for assistance.

Feedback & Questions:
If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions regarding FAQ’s, please contact us via email at medaffairs@acorda.com.

If you’ve been impacted by Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria, and have concerns about your Ampyra (dalfampridine) prescription, please contact your Specialty Pharmacy or Ampyra Patient Support Services at (888) 881-1918

Acorda has acquired Biotie Therapies. We invite you to explore www.acorda.com to learn more about our company, including our continued development of BIotie clinical programs for tozadenant, SYN120 and BTT1023. Information regarding transfers of value made to healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations in connection with Biotie’s clinical development programs is also available.

The website uses cookies, which are text files placed on your computer. Some of these are essential to the site’s operation while others analyse how visitors use the site. These cookies are set by default but you can disable them or view more information about how they are used here. By clicking on continue you consent to our use of cookies.